


There's Magic in the Air

by TheFluffAgenda



Category: Mamamoo, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternatively Yeri the bitch ass ghost, Artificer Jeongyeon, Attempt at Humor, Chaeyoung's a magic tattoo artist, Dryad Tzuyu, F/F, Fae Nayeon, Fluff, I'll add on as we go along, Might be a little angst in the future, Monster hunters Moonsun, Not a lot though, Poltergeist Yeri, Slice of Life, Witch Jihyo, Witch Mina, Witch Wendy, Witch Wheein, Yes I'm a D&D nerd why do you ask?, because i am me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24002200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFluffAgenda/pseuds/TheFluffAgenda
Summary: Welcome to the town of Pitchfell where witches, were-creatures, fae and all kinds of magical creatures live together in near perfect harmony.ORUrban Fantasy AU where Moonsun are bickering monster hunters, Yeri's a poltergeist and professional nuisance, Tzuyu's a dryad who lives in the woods and more!
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kang Seulgi/Son Seungwan | Wendy, Im Nayeon/Minatozaki Sana, Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul, Park Jisoo | Jihyo/Myoui Mina/Son Chaeyoung/Chou Tzuyu
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	1. The Storekeeper

**Author's Note:**

> One day in February I said "Consider Urban Fantasy AU" and my wife answered the call, so thank @jihyomilkies on Tumblr.  
> There really aren't enough magic or fantasy aus out there (tbh there will never be enough) so I'm simply trying to add to the pool. These are are really just my 2AM brain's ramblings.  
> Maybe I'll add some plot ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯, who knows!

Jihyo loved quiet mornings like these,they were always a nice prelude to her days. She had left her apartment at 7 AM, enough time to get some breakfast at “Dough Re Mi” (a name that Jihyo had actually cringed at when she first heard of the bakery) and then get to her own shop to open up.

The bakery was mostly empty, save for a few patrons absentmindedly sipping their coffee, waking themselves up for the upcoming day. Aside from them, there were two of the three employees.

“Hi Wendy!” Jihyo called out as the nice cool air-conditioned breeze hit and cooled her down from the sweltering summer heat

“Good morning Jihyo!”

Wendy had moved into Pitchfell (honestly with a name like that, the town was a supernatural teen drama waiting to happen) a few years ago and had immediately become a solid part of the neighborhood when she opened the bakery. 

Jihyo walked over to the counter and Wendy, seemingly out of nowhere, had pulled out a neatly folded paper bag and a takeaway cup and handed them to her. “I have your usual ready.”

Out of Jihyo’s peripheral she could see Momo sitting at a table closer to the counter, probably resting before the bakery got really busy. She slumped over the table, pouting at the absence of her partner in crime.

“Seulgi’s out making deliveries already?” Jihyo asked as she took her breakfast, the smell of a freshly baked muffin wafted through the material and she could feel her mouth water a little.

“Nah,” Wendy entered the prices of Jihyo’s breakfast, “Yeri ordered from pretty much every single pizza place in town last night. I let her sleep in.”

Jihyo winced a little at that and brought her wallet out, counting the appropriate amount of cash.

“What does a dead person even need with pizza?” Momo whined, dramatically throwing herself into the backrest of her chair and tilting her head back to the ceiling.

“Don’t worry, Seulgi will be back before lunch.” Wendy’s reassurance seemed to cheer Momo up a little and she was back to being slumped over the table, head turned to the door. She reminded Jihyo a little of a dog waiting for their owner to come home, but in this case both her and Seulgi were the dogs. Wendy turned back to her, handing Jihyo her change, “Do you have any sage by the way?”

“I think we have a little in stock but we’ll have some more later today, probably a little after lunch.”

“Great! I need to cleanse my crystals soon.”

“I’ll see you later then.”

Pastries and pleasantries exchanged, Jihyo made her way a little down the street to The Sorcerer’s Source. A small shop passed down generation after generation of witches with a worn down floor and a brand new sign that didn’t match the age of the storefront that had clearly been painted over several times. Currently, the storefront was a nice mint green.

Jihyo had worked at the store part-time with the previous owner while in high school but had taken over with her best friend Mina when they had moved out of town. Now, the duo had been running the store for a good 3 years or so.

She was usually there before Mina but for some reason the other girl was already waiting outside the store, leaning against the wall in a nice loose floral print blouse and a miniskirt. Mina looked up from her phone and her face lit up.

“Hey!” she greeted brightly

“Hey yourself,” Jihyo smiled back as she fished her keys from her handbag, “you look nice.”

“Thanks,” Mina’s smile shifted into a shyer one as she fiddled with her phone, a light pink dusting her cheeks, “you look nice too.”

“You think?” the doors opened up and the two girls moved into the store, “Tzuyu’s visiting later to deliver some herbs so...”

Mina’s expression twitched slightly.

“I’m sure Tzuyu will like the way you look today too.”

\--o0o--

Maybe fifteen minutes and an apricot almond muffin later Jihyo heard the bell above the door ring and some familiar bickering.

“I’m just saying, One Punch Man would definitely beat Superman in a fight.”

“You’re forgetting that Superman is basically immortal!”

She exited the back room and stepped behind the counter where Mina was.

“Good morning!”

The duo turned towards the counter.

“Morning Jihyo.”

“Hi Jihyo!”

Yongsun and Byulyi were known to everyone as the ‘neighborhood watch’ but officially they were monster hunters. There was a protective barrier around the town that usually kept any hostile creatures out but every once in a while something would slip through the cracks. That’s where Byulyi and Yongsun came in.

“I have to agree with Byulyi.” Mina interjected as the two went through the shelves with routined ease, “Saitama would win.”

“Thank you!” Byulyi exclaimed, “Mina’s an intellectual!”

“The thing with One Punch Man is that he’s from a comedy where the joke is that he’s just stronger than everyone. Superman on the other hand is supposed to be a serious character so he has actual weaknesses.”

“Fine. Whatever” Yongsun grumbled as she gathered the last of her supplies and moved to the counter, “Weebs.”

She placed a little under a dozen cloth pouches onto the counter with small labels attached to the drawstrings.

_ Saffron, Gum Arabic powder, and Salt _ .

Byulyi arrived a few seconds later with a handful of candlesticks.

“That’s a lot of ink you’re making.” Jihyo commented as she and Mina scanned and bagged with the silent efficiency that only two people who had worked with each other for years could have.

Byulyi looked at the two a little sheepishly, “I used a bunch of runes.”

“Imps.” Yongsun confirmed, “There were a group of them on the edge of town.”

“Imps?” Mina’s brow furrowed as she bagged the last of the purchases, “What are those things doing on the mortal plane?”

“We don’t know yet, the summer solstice is here soon so the barriers between the planes have been getting a little thin,” Byulyi shrugged, pulling her wallet out, “maybe they found a weak spot.”

“Hmm, maybe.” Mina mused

“Is this something we should start worrying about?” Jihyo asked

“Maybe, we’re gonna make the rounds to make sure though and we’ll have an answer soon.” Yongsun reassured her, “Either way, be careful out there.”

And with that the two paid for their purchases and were gone.

\--o0o--

Chaeyoung would never admit it but she had spent a 3 minutes minimum psyching herself up outside to enter the store. But eventually she steeled her nerves and opened the door, the bell signalling her entrance.

To an equal portion of excitement and dismay she saw Mina leaned over the counter, completely engrossed in whatever game she was playing on her Switch.

Taking a couple of deep breaths and went through the shelves, snagging several pouches of gem dust and stealing glances at the girl at the counter. There was no avoiding it now.

“You can do this!” Chaeyoung whispered to herself, “I can do this!”

She approached the counter with a nervous grin and a feigned confidence.

“Hey!” she squeaked out, and now she wanted to walk right into the ocean.

Luckily Mina didn’t notice her awkwardness and gave a polite smile, setting her game aside.

"Hi Chae, is this everything?"

"Uh, yeah!"

There was a lull as Mina scanned all of the items that took all of Chaeyoung's control not to break.

"You working on anything cool lately?"

“Uh, yeah!” Chaeyoung rubbed the nape of her neck, “There’s this guy who wants a tattoo of a tree with leaves that change with the seasons.”

“Haven’t you done a bunch of those already?” Mina cocked an eyebrow, her mouth curled into a slight grin that had Chaeyoung’s little gay heart doing barrel rolls in her chest, “Hardly counts as cool.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Chaeyoung chuckled, a small hint of nervousness tinting her voice, “Not a lot of people want to spend a lot of time or money on the more complex stuff, which is a little sad.”

Mina hummed in agreement.

“Why are you so interested anyway?” Chaeyoung tilted her head, “You thinking of taking up my offer on some ink?”

“No,” Mina giggled as she started bagging her items, “not yet anyways.”

_ This is the perfect time! You got this! _

“Hey.” Chaeyoung’s tone was a little softer, “You doing any this Saturday?”

“Nope, why?”

“I...uh…” she was starting to go red, “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out or something…”

“Oh?” Mina wasn’t even looking at her as she entered the prices of Chaeyoung’s purchases.

“Yeah, I was thinking we could head to the arcade and have some lunch together.”

Mina looked up at that, pausing for a little before a smug grin that Chaeyoung didn’t even know Mina’s face was even able to make creeped onto her face.

“I hope you know that I’m gonna crush you.”

“I sure hope you do.”

“What?”

“I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!”

Chaeyoung’s face got impossibly redder and she yanked her card out to pay as fast as she could.

“ANYWAY I’LL SEE YOU THEN!”

Then she started hurrying towards the door.

“Chaeyoung!” a somewhat confused Mina called out, “What time are we meeting?”

“How about noon, at the diner?” she wasn’t yelling anymore but her voice was still above it’s usual volume.

“Sounds good, I’ll see you then!”

“Bye!”

Mina watched her rush out the door, shrugged and then returned to her game. As Chaeyoung continued power walking to her parlor she took several deep breaths to calm herself.

_ Yup, I nailed that. _

\--o0o--

There was a loud ringing of the bell as the Source's next customer entered.

"Hi Jeong!" Jihyo shouted from behind the shelf of herbs she was restocking.

"Hi 'Hyo!" Jeongyeon greeted back, immediately pulling her notebook out and rushing to the shelves of spell components.

Jihyo could hear some clattering of objects and rapid fire murmuring, then some cursing.

“You ok there?” she called out.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” a voice came out from behind the shelves.

There was some more clattering and rustling until Jeongyeon appeared from behind the shelves a little sheepishly.

“Where do you keep the clay and ingredients for ink?”

Jihyo chuckled lightly and led her to the correct shelf.

“What are you working on?”

“I’m experimenting a little with some animation.”

“Like golems?”

“Something like that.”

After poking through the shelf for a few minutes Jeongyeon eventually found what she was looking for and grabbed an armful of clay, parchment and pouches of Dragon's blood, myrrh and gum arabic powder.

She brought her wallet out to pay for her items but Jihyo held a hand up to stop her.

“It’s on the house.

“Hyo, I can’t take all thi-”

“Consider it an investment for whatever crazy shit you’re gonna cook up.”

Jeongyeon’s shocked face gave way to a grin and she scooped up her things.

“Thank you so much! I promise you’ll get the first look if this goes right!”

Then she was off, practically sprinting back to the repair shop. Jihyo watched her retreating figure through the glass door.

“Gods I hope she doesn’t kill herself.”

\--o0o--

Mina could tell that noon was coming by the way that Jihyo was getting even antsier by the minute. This could only mean one thing, Tzuyu was going to be here soon.

Admittedly, Mina didn’t know much about Tzuyu apart from the fact that A) she was a dryad who Jihyo had met in the woods while gathering herbs, and B) Jihyo definitely had a crush on her.

Fact A was told to her when Jihyo called her that night to tell her about The Meeting™.

Fact B on the other hand was made painfully obvious to her whenever Jihyo started rambling about her.

_ “Tzuyu’s so pretty!” _

_ “Tzuyu made me a flower crown, she’s so cute!” _

_ “Tzuyu can talk to animals, she’s basically a Disney princess!” _

_ “Tzuyu punched a bear when it almost attacked me, she’s so cool!” _

Mina was happy for Jihyo and everything but she would really appreciate it if she stopped finding a way to bring her up in every single conversation.

Then the bell chimed.

Mina had to agree Tzuyu was gorgeous, somehow always looking like a model ready for the runway even when she was always dressed in simple outdoor clothes.

“Hi Mina,” she greeted politely, “is Jihyo here?”

Jihyo flew in from the backroom, at the sound of her name.

“Hey! Yeah! I’m here!”

Tzuyu didn’t even look fazed and just smiled back at her, raising her basket.

“I have what you asked for.”

_ I can’t watch this. _

Mina thought, rolling her eyes slightly.

“I’m gonna go finish taking inventory.” she mumbled before making her way to the backroom.

“You do that.” Jihyo said, her eyes fixed on Tzuyu.

The door clicked shut.

“I hope it wasn’t too much trouble finding these.”

“It really wasn’t, I told you I don’t mind.” Tzuyu reassured her.

“Still, I have to pay you back one of these days.” Jihyo rubbed at her nape.

“You really don’t have to, I like being helpful.”

“Please?”

Tzuyu really couldn’t say no to Jihyo’s wide eyes.

“Get me one of those muffins again.”

Jihyo reached a hand across the counter which Tzuyu took slowly.

“Deal!”

They shook on it, hands lingering on each other’s for a moment, then they dropped their hands

“Thanks again for this.” Jihyo said softly, grinning nervously.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tzuyu gave her a soft smile in return, “I’m happy to help.”

With that she reached over to Jihyo’s hand again, squeezing it gently before leaving.

As the door closed, Mina re-joined Jihyo behind the counter.

Jihyo inspected the contents of the basket, everything she asked for was there and there was a little more than what was needed.

“Y’know,” she started, “you could easily get a greenhouse made and you’d be able to get the plants easier, right?”

“Yeah,” Jihyo responded sheepishly, “but then I wouldn’t have an excuse to see her regularly.”

Mina sighed and watched Tzuyu round the corner.

“I know.”

\--o0o--

The bell jingled once again and in stepped a girl who looked brutally lost. Jihyo was sure she didn’t know her but she looked a little familiar.

What was her name again? 

The girl browsed the spell ingredients shelves, mumbling to herself

“Hello there!” Jihyo called out, “Can I help you with anything?

She whipped around to face her.

"Uh... I'm not really sure yet." she replied sheepishly

“Alright, take your time!”

There was a few moments of silence before the girl appeared again.

“Could you help me find some stuff.”

“Sure thing!”

The girl thanked her and then pulled a piece of paper with a list.

“I’m Jihyo by the way, what’s your name?”

“Oh, I’m Wheein!”

Jihyo reached out a hand to Wheein, which she took, and shook it.

They went through the shelves silently, crossing items off Wheein’s list.

“I’m assuming you’re new in town,” Jihyo said while reaching for a pouch of salt, “I haven’t seen you around before.”

“Uh yeah, I just moved in last week.” Wheein took her ballpen to the list

“How are you liking Pitchfell so far?”

“It’s really nice! I didn’t have any established covens where I lived before so it’s nice to actually have someone to learn from.”

_ Fuck, the incense is too high up. _

Jihyo went to go get a ladder.

“Which coven did you join?”

Wheein moved to give Jihyo some space.

“I joined the Circle of Venus, are you a part of it?”

“Nah, I’m not part of any covens.” she climbed up, “You’re doing a summoning ritual right?”

The other girl nodded.

“You’ll probably want this then.” Jihyo grabbed a packet of incense sticks and then climbed back down, handing it to her.

“Thanks, I just need some candles.”

“What color?”

Wheein checked her list and her eyes widened in panic.

“Crap, I forgot to write it down.”

“That’s ok, blue candles usually work for most summoning rituals.”

“Thank gods,” she breathed out “I need 6 of them.”

Once all her items had been crossed off the two made their way towards the counter.

“If you’re ever looking for friends in the coven you could always go talk to Wendy. She runs the bakery down the street, Dough Re Mi.”

Wheein’s face scrunched up at the name which made Jihyo laugh a bit.

“Yeah, it’s kinda stupid but they’re the best in town. Irene’s also pretty nice, the coven leader. She’s always willing to help new witches.”

Wheein pulled her wallet out and paid for her purchases.

“Thanks again Jihyo, I’ll see you around!”

“No problem Wheein, I hope you like Pitchfell!”

\--o0o--

The bell jingled once again with Mina and Jihyo’s last customer.

“Hi Wendy.”

“Hi guys, I won’t take too long!”

True to her word, Wendy spent a moment going through the small baskets of herbs and soon made her way towards the counter.

“How was your day?” Mina asked as she tallied her purchases and bagged them.

“It was nice, Yong and Byul came by after lunch and told us about the imps.”

“We heard about it too.” Jihyo chimed in, “I hope it isn’t anything too serious.”

“Me too.”

Wendy took her bag off the counter and made her way towards the door.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow!”

“Bye!”

“Have a good evening.”


	2. A Very Friendly, Platonic Date with Absolutely No Romantic Connotations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! This chapter took way longer than expected.  
> I'll try to be a bit quicker with my updates but I can't promise anything.

Chaeyoung tapped the wooden surface of the table anxiously, her eyes shifting back to the diner’s entrance every few seconds.

She loved this place.

Even though it was from a time far from hers, there was something beautifully nostalgic about the Purple Lemonade.

The black and white checkered floor was littered with scuff marks of chairs and tables being moved to make way for the parties that the diner would host every month. The turquoise leather seats showed some signs of wear but were otherwise very well-maintained. The bright lilac neon sign on the roof of the building was still the very same sign that had been there the day the diner had opened. The jukebox by the counter was wonderfully up-to-date in terms of music despite its obvious age.

Chaeyoung loved that even though they lived in a town that could easily wave all these imperfections away with a flick of a wand, the owners and staff decided to keep all these little scratches of history. There was just something so poetically beautiful about a building that had survived the test of time.

The sound of a throat clearing startled Chaeyoung out of her stupor and she spun in her seat to see Nayeon. She was wearing the usual lilac dress and white apron of the diner’s waitresses and held maybe five or so menus in her unusually long fingers.

“Oh, I’m not ordering yet.” Chaeyoung said sheepishly, “I’m waiting for someone.”

The other girl nodded in understanding.

“Take this just in case you want to start deciding what to order.” she said, placing it on the table.

“You say that like I’m ever gonna choose something else.” 

“I said ‘just in case’.” Nayeon huffed, ruffling Chaeyoung’s hair, “Smartass.”

In that moment, there was a loud slam as the door flew open giving way to Seulgi who practically raced across the room, leaped over a table and almost crashed into the counter.

“Hi! I’m here for my order!” she exclaimed, balancing herself.

“You need to slow down Seulgi.” the waitress behind the counter chuckled while grabbing two paper bags from under the counter.

“Sorry!” she grinned brightly, inspecting the contents of the bag with one hand and fishing her a wad of cash out of her pocket with the other, “Thank you so much!”

Despite the obvious rush to the diner, the girl barely looked winded or sweaty. She continued jogging in place, ready to bolt again.

Nayeon and Chaeyoung watched the scene in familiar amusement.

“Hi Seul!”

Seulgi spun around to find the sound.

“Hi Nayeon! Hi Chaeyoung!”

“Try not to crash into anything.” Nayeon laughed lightly.

“Sorry, just trying to get Wendy and Irene their lunches as soon as possible!”

“I understand, gotta keep the girls happy and functioning. Just be careful.”

“Will do!” the waitress behind the counter handed Seulgi back her change which she quickly pocketed, “Alright! Gotta go!”

With a final wave, she zipped out the door and she was gone.

“That girl is adorable.”

Chaeyoung hummed in agreement and Nayeon turned her attention back to her.

“Now, who are you waiting for?”

I a moment of perfect timing, the diner’s door opened and silhouetted by the bright summer sun was Mina in a knee length blue floral sundress that simultaneously really complimented her figure and sent Chaeyoung into cardiac arrest.

She took a few moments to look around before finding Chaeyoung waving at her, then she gave a polite smile of recognition which made Chaeyoung’s heart do some more weird shit and started walking towards the booth.

Nayeon let out a small whistle and leaned in a little closer.

“Wow, you finally grew a pair.”

“Yup, unlike you.”

“Groundwork Chae, groundwork.”

Chaeyoung scoffed.

“I didn’t know groundwork meant eye-fucking each other across a room for almost a year.”

“Did you start ordering without me?”

Mina had arrived at the booth and started sliding into the seat opposite hers.

“Not yet, Nayeon was just giving me a menu.”

“Yeah, take your time guys!” and with an ok-sign over her shoulder, Nayeon made her way to the counter.

Mina hummed and started flipping through the menu.

In the silence she noticed Mina’s fingers tapping erratically against the table, huffing lightly once or twice as she carefully regarded her options.

All in all, it was doing wonders for Chaeyoung’s anxiety.

“So uh…” Chaeyoung cleared her throat, really wanting to break the stillness, “How was your day?”

“Huh?” Mina raised her gaze to meet hers for a few moments before they went back to the menu, “Oh. It was ok, I guess.”

Her smile looked a little forced, posture a more tense than usual.

Something wasn’t right.

“A-are you sure?” Chaeyoung stuttered, “Sorry if I’m being rude or something.”

Mina just out a heavy sigh and settled further into the seat.

“Is it really that obvious?”

“Uh...not really, I guess I just pay attention to people’s mannerisms a lot.” Chaeyoung reassured her, “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it, you just look a little down.”

Mina eyes flitted back and forth, clearly debating something heavily before she looked back to Chaeyoung.

“You promise you won’t tell anyone if I tell you?”

“As long as you’re not planning on anything bad.” Chaeyoung joked

“Alright,” Mina sighed again, “Do you know Tzuyu?”

“Uh, I think so?” she racked her brain for a bit, “Tall lady? Lives in the woods? Might be a model? Punched a bear?”

“Yeah, that’s her, does everyone know about that?” Mina muttered the last part under her breath and flicked her eyes to where Nayeon was leaning against the counter, watching them from her peripheral, “Well, Jihyo has a crush on her.”

“Oh?”

“And...uh…I might have a crush on Jihyo…”

Oh!

Oh…

“That,” Chaeyoung was at a loss for words, “That’s gotta suck, having feelings for someone who has feelings for someone else.”

“Yeah,” Mina laughed dully, “It kinda does.”

Chaeyoung had to agree.

She wanted to assure Mina that it would be ok, but she didn’t know that for sure.

What now?

Well, she kept going with this “date”.

If Mina was feeling down, the least Chaeyoung could do was attempt to cheer her up, to distract her, to be a friend.

“Well, if it’ll make you feel better, we’ll head to the arcade after lunch and you can kick my ass at every game.”

“Thanks Chae.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.”

Mina smiled lightly at her and then turned to Nayeon.

“I think we’re ready to order now!”

\--o0o--

After lunch Mina and Chaeyoung had made their way over to the arcade, Mina’s smile had lightened somewhat but it still looked a bit forced.

That wouldn’t do.

Mina had fought valiantly but Chaeyoung had ended up being the one to pay for their tokens in the end.

“Chaeyoung, it’s fine!” she insisted, “You really don’t need to do this.”

“It’s ok.” Chaeyoung reassured her, “Think of this as payment for all those times you’ve helped me with my enchantments.”

Mina had just huffed in the end.

“Fine, but I’m paying next time.”

_Next time?_

“Uh, yeah. Sure!”

Before Chaeyoung was even able to recover from that, Mina smiled and grabbed hand hand, starting to pull her over to the far side of the arcade.

“C’mon! Let’s play this one first!”

Somehow despite the fact that it was almost 20 degrees outside (68 fahrenheit), Mina’s fingers were ice cold and Chaeyoung had almost flinched due to the shock. Well, that and the fact that Mina was holding her hand in the first place.

She had dragged Chaeyoung over to the House of the Dead machine and spun around to face her.

“Tokens please.”

How anyone was ever able to say no to this girl was a wonder to Chaeyoung.

“Y-yeah, here!” she spun around to hide her burning face, her eyes darting around for a distraction.

Over by the claw machines, Chaeyoung could see a purple spectre. The spectre stood in absolute concentration as she gently guided the claw towards the big plush Squirtle in the corner. Predictably, the claw didn’t pick up shit and the spectre groaned in frustration.

Then she phased a hand inside the machine and picked it up herself.

“Yeri! What did I say about cheating!”

The spectre, Yeri, whipped her head towards the prize counter, eyes wide.

“Oh shit.”

“Do I need to ban you again?”

“You’ll never take me alive!” she proclaimed before diving into the floor.

The statement might have been more effective if A) she wasn’t already dead, and B) if the Squirtle hadn’t been left behind in Yeri’s escape.

The owner just sighed in exasperation and made his way over to the plush and opened the claw machine to return it to its glass prison.

Poor thing, it would probably never taste fresh air again.

Pulling her attention away from that, Chaeyoung turned back to where Mina was entering tokens into the machine.

“Ready?”

“I feel like I gotta warn you, I’m shit at this one.” Chaeyoung groaned as she took the blue plastic gun from its holder.

“I’ll be sure to carry you well then.” Mina grinned at her, taking aim before pressing the start button.

True to her word, Mina had carried her to the boss battle at the end of the 2nd chapter. Chaeyoung didn’t even know that House of the Dead even _had_ chapters.

“No. No! Nononoononono!” Mina couldn’t reload fast enough though and soon, her last life was taken by a gargoyle, “Damnit, it was the last chapter too.”

“You’re really good at this game.”

“Yeah, Jihyo and I played it a lot when we were still in school.”

“Did you ever beat it?” Chaeyoung asked.

“Maybe around a dozen times.”

“That’s neat.”

_Neat? What was she even saying?_

"Let's play this one next!" the other girl started dragging her again to another machine.

_Oh gods, she wasn't going to survive today._

\--o0o--

“Thanks for bringing me out today Chae,” Mina smiled warmly at her, “I really needed this.”

“Ah,” Chaeyoung looked at the ground as she kicked a rock on the pavement, “It was nothing.”

Mina reached out and squeezed Chaeyoung’s shoulder. Almost unconsciously forcing the other girl to look at her.

Despite how powerful Chaeyoung knew Mina was, she decided that Mina’s most dangerous asset was probably her eyes. The way the light from the setting sun caught on them made her eyes look almost endless, like she could drown in those deep, warm browns and golden flecks if she wasn’t careful. Although Chaeyoung supposed it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“It wasn’t nothing, Chae,” her voice was almost a whisper, “I’m serious, thanks.”

Then Mina leaned in to hug her.

The first thing that Chaeyoung noticed was how nice Mina smelled. It was an odd mix of whatever shampoo Mina used, a blend of the various herbs that the Source sold and parchment. They really shouldn’t have worked together but something about it was pleasant.

The next thing that she noticed was that despite Mina’s apparent case of chronic cold-handedness, she was really warm. She could feel the heat radiating from her torso into Chaeyoung’s own body. In hindsight it was a weird thing to fixate on but she had officially entered Gay Panic(TM) mode when the thought had entered her mind.

The last thing Chaeyoung had noticed was that the crush she had been harboring had rooted itself firmly into her chest and that it definitely wouldn’t leave its new home without a fight.

Especially now that she knew that Mina liked drowning her fries in ketchup, and that she liked knitting little scarves for Momo’s doll collection, and that she had an extreme competitive streak despite being pretty quiet and reserved, and that Piplup was her favorite Pokémon because it was a penguin, and that her favorite games at the arcade were Tekken and House of the Dead, and that, and that, and that… and that this whole “hanging out as friends” thing had really backfired on her.

The thoughts and realizations shot and spiraled through Chaeyoung’s brain in the 7 short seconds that Mina hugged her and it left her slightly dazed when the other girl pulled away, that near lethal soft smile spread across her face.

“I’ll see you around Chaeyoung.”

She blinked in response.

“Y-yeah, see ya.”

Mina gave her one final squeeze to her shoulder and walked down the street, illuminated by the evening’s summer sun.

Chaeyoung was still a little dazed when she entered the shop and walked up the stairs to her small apartment.

The actions of kicking her shoes off and planting face first into her bed had been automatic and maybe 10 minutes later she heard the front door open.

“I’m home!”

“I’m in here!” Chaeyoung called back, voice muffled by her mattress.

There had been a few moments of near silence as her roommate made her way to Chaeyoung’s room while humming under breath.

“So? How did it go bro?”

Chaeyoung groaned in response, turning onto her back to face the other girl.

“She’s so nice Dahyun! And cute. And she’s really good at shooting games.”

“Sounds like it went well.” the other girl sat on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah, she was a little down in the beginning but I think I managed to cheer her up.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, it was because she-”

_Oh right, Mina had feelings for someone else._


	3. Jeongyeon's Log 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't make y'all wait too long. This is a little short but the next chapter's on it's way as well!

_[Static]_

**[Jeongyeon]** : Is this thing on?

_[Tapping, more static.]_

_[The sound stabilizes.]_

**[Jeongyeon]** : Ok I think it’s working.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Right then. Monday, May 25 2020. Audio log 1#

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Golems have existed for centuries, research says that these clay beings made by man have even existed as early as the middle ages. But lately I’ve been thinking… what if I attempted to create a sentient golem?

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Something that could think and act for itself. Maybe even _feel_ for itself…

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Maybe even made out of a more durable material like metal...

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Ok, I admit that I _might_ have watched Wall-E way too many times this weekend but at least I have something to work on right now.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : I’ll start brainstorming right away and drop by the Source to get some materials.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Anyway, this has been audio log 1#. Signing off.

\--o0o--

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Saturday, May 30 2020. Audio log 5#, test 1#

 **[Jeongyeon]** : I’ve bought some materials and I’ll be starting my first round of experiments.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : I went to the Source a few days ago and did a little research and today I’ll be testing if it’s even possible to work with the intended materials.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : I have my first prototype made with mostly clay and a few steel bars as a skeleton. I am using Dragon’s blood ink and I’ll be using the standard enchantment to animate a golem.

_[The scratching of pen against parchment before some silence.]_

**[Jeongyeon]** : Did I do this wro-

_[A faint whoosh of arcane energy and a gasp.]_

**[Jeongyeon]** : Ok! The standard enchantment does not seem to be reacting poorly to the metal.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Jump!

_[A heavy thump and the clattering of tools.]_

**[Jeongyeon]** :Nice! The next experiment will be to see if I can animate a fully metal golem. My prototype here is made up of some spare chassis parts and some scrap metal I had lying around the shop.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : I also tried to use as much steel as possible to test the material. Although some of the parts are aluminum, I don’t think it’s enough to make _too_ much of a difference.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : Hopefully.

_[A deep hopeful breath.]_

**[Jeongyeon]** : Here we go.

_[There is more scratching before some more silence.]_

_[This time for longer.]_

**[Jeongyeon]** : Huh, maybe it doesn’t-

_[There’s a louder whoosh, followed by the whistling of objects flying the the air.]_

**[Jeongyeon]** : Aaah!!

_[Loud clanging]_

_[Silence]_

_[Silence]_

_[Worrying silence]_

_[Even more worrying silence]_

**[Jeongyeon]** : Maybe some more research and brainstorming.

 **[Jeongyeon]** : This has been audio log 5#, test 1#. Signing off.

**Author's Note:**

> If y'all liked this come bother me on Tumblr @Arcane-Author!


End file.
